Eggplant Rolls

We saw this recipe on showmethecurry.com and wanted to try this. Originally eggplant rolls are made with cheese filling, we are not really a cheese fan so we modified the recipe with paneer filling and it turned out yummy !!!!

Ingredients : 
2 Eggplants
Salt
Oil 
1 cup freshly made paneer(crumbled)
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 green chillis finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
A pinch of turmeric
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
Few sprigs cilantro
salt according to taste
2 tablespoons grated Mozzarella cheese 


Directions : 
1. Slice the eggplants lengthwise to approx. 1/2 an inch thickness.
2. Take a colander and add the sliced eggplant pieces and salt them generously(add upto 3 tablespoons of salt) and leave them for 30mins to 1 hour .

3. For the filling , in a pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds splutter add the onion add green chillis and fry till onions are nicely caramelized. 
4. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes off. Add turmeric,salt and red chilli powder and mix well.
5. Now, add the crumbled paneer and mix well so that all the spices combime well with paneer.
6. Let the paneer cook on medium heat for 8-10 mins. Mix every 2 mins.
7. Add garam masala. Check the taste and add more salt or chilli powder if required.Sprinkle some cilantro leaves and leave aside to cool.

8. Now, rinse off the salt from eggplants and pat them dry with a paper towel.
9. Heat some oil on a skillet or grill pan and cook the eggplant untill golden brown on both sides.

10. Allow the eggplants to cool enough to be able to touch it. 
11. Place a heaping spoon of the paneer mixture on the wide end of the cooked eggplant and roll the eggplant all the way.

12. Place the rolled eggplant in a lightly oiled baking sheet and repeat until all eggplant slices are rolled.
13. Bake uncovered in a 425 degree F preheated oven for 15 minutes (until the paneer mixture is heated all the way through).

14. 

Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top and broil in the oven for few minutes until cheese is melted and lightly brown.(keep an eye and remove immediately once the cheese is melted)
15. Serve hot.

Note : Freshly made paneer is the best option for this recipe as its easy to crumble and remains soft for long time. We tried with store bought paneer aswell, but the result was not as good as fresh paneer.